William Bratton has a remarkable record when it comes to turning around crime-ridden cities and scandal-ridden police departments. As the chief of police in New York City and then Los Angeles, the 65-year-old, who now runs a consulting business, oversaw serious drops in crime and serious modernizations in those departments. But is he the right fit for Oakland as a pricey consultant?

Oakland's City Council is scheduled to vote on whether or not the city should hire Bratton on a $250,000 contract for its troubled police department. Mayor Jean Quan has been supportive of Bratton's hiring, as have some of the councilmembers.

Bratton's proposed hiring is controversial - not least because of his support for the policy of "stop and frisk,", which has been criticized as racial profiling by a wide range of organizations and is tied up in federal court.

Then there's the simple matter of logistics. Oakland already has a police chief - Howard Jordan, who got the official title just under a year ago. Soon, the police department is also likely to have a federal compliance director, as a result of the department's failure to meet mandated reforms.

That's already quite a few cooks in the kitchen. The last thing Oakland and its police department need right now is ambiguity about chain of command.